September Ushers In No Kid Hungry Campaign

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This September, restaurants in every state are teaming up with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to help end childhood hunger in America, one meal at a time. All month, people across the country can dine out at participating restaurants, make a contribution, and take advantage of valuable promotions, coupons, and rewards in return for doing their part.

Patrons can find participating restaurants matching all cuisines and budgets in all 50 states at NoKidHungry.org. As a long-time champion for No Kid Hungry, Food Network celebrity and chef Marc Murphy urges people to dine out anddo good.

“As a chef and a father, I know how important a family meal can be, and I believe every child in America deserves that,” Murphy says. “This September, we have the chance to make our meals out together even more meaningful. By simply dining out at a participating restaurant, you are supporting No Kid Hungry and you can help make sure children get the healthy food they need every day.”

One in five children struggles with hunger in America, and as kids head back to school, many are returning to class hungry. According to a new report released by the No Kid Hungry campaign, three in four teachers and principals report regularly seeing hungry kids in their schools—the highest number in the four years of conducting this research.

Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending childhood hunger in America by connecting kids with the nutritious food they need to learn and grow, such as school breakfast.

“While childhood hunger is a large problem, it’s one we can solve together,” says Tom Nelson, president of Share Our Strength. “By dining out and participating in promotions for No Kid Hungry, your support will help us make sure more kids get important meals like school breakfast so they can concentrate in class, learn, and succeed as students. Every dollar counts, literally. Just one dollar can help connect a child in need with up to 10 meals, so donations of all sizes make a real impact."

In what is typically a highly competitive marketplace, this effort represents an unprecedented mobilization of the restaurant industry to collectively support ending childhood hunger.

Over the past five years, restaurants have teamed up to raise approximately $10 million, which has supported No Kid Hungry’s recent accomplishments, including connecting kids to 34 million additional meals since the summer of 2011, while also rallying supporters to send more than 104,000 letters that urged congressional representatives to protect critical funding for federal nutrition programs.

Generous supporters of the effort include the National Restaurant Association, American Express, Ecolab, Food Network, ONEHOPE Wine, and SCA Tork.

In addition to dining out during September, supporters nationwide will raise awareness about the crisis of hunger right in their own communities. Supporting television networks, websites, businesses, and members of the public will go orange for No Kid Hungry, turning their social networks, offices, and selves a bold color to reflect the bold solution No Kid Hungry has for ending childhood hunger in America.

What’s more, on September 16, thousands of advocates will take to Twitter to “twEAT OUT” for an all-day online conversation about the issue.